The next major version of macOS is Mojave, Apple has now unveiled. At its just-concluded Worldwide Developers Conference, the Cupertino company gave a sneak peak of what's to come for Mac users.
Dark Mode In macOS Mojave
The first major feature is a Dark Mode option. It turns the dock, taskbar, and basically everything into dark gray. Currently, there's a dark mode option but it only changes the dock and the taskbar. This one is more universal, affecting all apps.
Stacks In macOS Mojave
For those with messy desktops, the new Stacks feature is a godsend. Stacks essentially groups all files of the same type into one clickable... well — stack. So, say there are several images scattered all around the desktop. Hit stack and it groups them all together, which makes for a neater, cleaner look. Say goodbye to cluttered Mac desktops for good.
The New Mac App Store In macOS Mojave
At long last, Apple is overhauling the Mac App Store in a major way. The long-overdue redesign takes a lot of cues from the iOS App Store, which received a visual upgrade last year. Instead of the ancient App Store design of yesteryear, the new Mac App Store now features big billboards calling out new apps and collections, plus some of the new editorial content Apple has been typing up for a number of apps.
Of course, it'll take more than just a major design overhaul to get it going, but this is a nice, welcome start. Hopefully this gives more color and life to the Mac App Store, which has languished over the years.
Apple also announced that Microsoft Office 365 and Adobe Lightroom CC will both be available to download via the new store.
New Apps For macOS Mojave
macOS Mojave comes with a bunch of new apps, some of which are direct ports from iOS. The first is Apple News, a centralized reader for all the user's most favorite publications and news sources. The second is Home, enabling Mac users to control their HomeKit accessories right from within their desktops. The third is Stocks, which is pretty much a desktop version of the Stocks app on iOS. Finally, there's Voice Memos, allowing users to take voice notes, lectures, meeting, songs, and access them from an iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Group FaceTime
macOS Mojave finally brings video conferencing to FaceTime, a feature Apple likes to call Group FaceTime. Video chatting is cross-platform, and it even supports Apple Watch users, who can join via audio.
Will My Mac Get macOS Mojave?
macOS Mojave launches this fall, presumably around September or October. If you're Mac version is listed below, as CNET reports, then you're definitely going to get the update.
• MacBook (early 2015 and up)
• MacBook Air (mid-2012 and up)
• MacBook Pro (mid-2012 and up)
• Mac Mini (late 2012 and up)
• iMac (late 2012 and up)
• iMac Pro (2017)
• Mac Pro (late 2013, plus mid-2010 and mid-2012 models with Metal-capable GPU)
